Six Nations 2020 Betting Preview: Latest Odds & Expert Tips

Quick Tips

The Six Nations gets underway again at the weekend, with Wales opening the 2020 tournament against Italy, Ireland hosting Scotland and England travelling to the Stade de France for their opener on Sunday afternoon. All of the top rugby bookmakers have priced up each fixture as well as a host of other markets to bet on for the tournament.

England - World Cup Hangover on the Cards?

Beaten World Cup finalists, England, are tipped to take the title, but Eddie Jones is already aware of the curse of losing in a World Cup showpiece.

The last four losing finalists in that competition have found it difficult to put together any sort of run of form in the aftermath, and some have gone a full 12 months before showing anything like their true colours again.

Jones has to contend with the absence of Wasps captain, Joe Launchbury, at least for the opener, and Billy Vinupola longer term, however, with a change to England’s No.8 role already decided, it means players like Maro Itoje and Ben Earl will get the chance to shine.

Henry Slade is also missing with an ankle injury but the plethora of options that Jones has in all areas means that tactical switches would be welcomed if needed.

With a decent amount of strength in the scrum, the only facet that England really need to concern themselves with is getting their running rugby going in each game and not getting drawn into unnecessary battles.

Ball-in-hand at pace is how they work best, but that said, Jones’ assertion that he will ensure “brutal physicality” in the match against the French shows that England will happily scrap for everything if that’s what it takes to get them over the line.

A post shared by Gambling.com (@gamblingdotcom) on Jan 29, 2020 at 4:50am PST

France - Potential Dark Horse

France are a bit of a dark horse in this season’s competition. Already written off by many in their home country as also-rans, new coach Fabian Galthie isn’t messing about. He is taking a risk, yes, but it might just pay off.

Getting rid of a number of established names from the squad was a surprise, more so when it became clear that up to 20 new faces wound replace them.

Add in the addition of Shaun Edwards as defensive coach, and this isn’t a France team to be taken lightly.

Yes, there are a number of youngsters in the side and yes a good portion haven’t yet been capped, but what Galthie has tapped into in bringing them into the fold is their hunger and desire.

The exuberance of youth, unencumbered by the failures of their predecessors. Indeed, it’s been 10 years since France won the Six Nations, and in that time they’ve only finished runners-up once too.

A barren period meant that a shakeup was required and Galthie has been true to his word.

Leaning heavily on France’s ‘Golden Generation’ of youngsters means we should see some great performances from the likes of Killian Geraci, Lyon’s 20-year-old powerhouse, Romain ‘The Wall’ Taofifenua and Virimi Vakatawa.

The latter put in some notable shifts during the 2019 World Cup and England will need to contain him when he surges forward, bringing his colleagues into play with ease.

Wales - Pivac Hoping to Prosper

The departures of Edwards and Warren Gatland is huge for Wales. The reigning champions acquitted themselves well in the World Cup and were unlucky to lose out to South Africa in the semis.

New coach Wayne Pivac will more than likely want to see his side playing with more freedom, and though that may suit some of the players, Wales have been so strong of late because of just how well they play in defence.

Playing England and Ireland away is certainly unfortunate, and it’s highly unlikely that the Welsh will have adapted fully to Pivac’s methods in such a short space of time.

The potential loss of Taulupe Faletau for the opener at the Principality Stadium would be a blow, but supporters will be comforted in the knowledge that Alun Wyn Jones will play alongside anyone from five; Jake Ball, Cory Hill, Adam Beard, Will Rowlands and Seb Davis.

With other uncapped players in Pivac’s squad, there have already been question marks as to whether the new man in charge has bitten off more than he can chew.

However, his Welsh team were excellent in dismantling the Barbarians 43-33 recently and that game hinted at the type of play they’ll bring to the party.

Ireland - Farrell Shakes Things Up

The Andy Farrell era begins in Dublin, and that’s meant curtains already for a few of Joe Schmidt’s tried and tested generals.

Rob Kearney has been canned at full-back, and though Will Addison has been in great form of late, Jordan Larmour has been handed the jersey after impressing the coaching team in their training camp in Portugal.

Rory Best’s retirement, though expected, is still a blow for Farrell, who needs to inject some urgency into their play and variety into their work.

In the last Six Nations, Ireland were far too flat and predictable for long periods. A lot of pressure will, therefore, fall on the shoulders of new captain, Johnny Sexton, whose temperament has often been called into question.

The selection of Conor Murray at No. 9 alongside him has raised eyebrows too, given the form of John Cooney.

Farrell has been completely happy with how his squad have dealt with a demanding series of training sessions in the lead up to the opener, and he starts the tournament full of confidence in his squad and his selections.

Scotland - Squad Issues Could Derail Campaign

With Finn Russell out of the Scotland squad for a “breach of team protocol,” Ireland’s opponents in the opening fixture are already at a huge disadvantage.

Gregor Townsend has always been steadfast in his opinion that his players have to abide by a strict disciplinary code, but it’s still a huge call to leave Russell on the sidelines.

A world class talent, suggestions are that Townsend has found the mercurial talent “hard to manage.”

On paper at least, the Ireland game is one that Scotland could win if they were at full strength - and that includes Russell.

Darcy Graham’s absence with ligament damage is a further blow, and after Scotland’s underwhelming World Cup, Pieter de Villiers and Steve Tandy have been brought to shake things up a bit.

New captain, Stuart Hogg, intends to make a difference, with the mindset to continuously attack when they have the ball in each and every game.

They’ll need to be on song from the off too, given that they’ve won just once in Ireland in the last 11 attempts.

Italy - Wooden Spoon Favourites

The outsiders of the bunch, Italy are awkward customers nonetheless on their day.

Only two of their five matches at home could prove problematic for them, but new coach, Franco Smith, won’t go looking for excuses and certainly not before a ball has been kicked in the tournament.

History doesn’t favour them of course. Sunday, February 28, 2015 was the last time that the Azzurri won a Six Nations match, taking down Scotland at Murrayfield 22-19.

New captain, Luca Bigi, will be charged with inspiring the troops, including the exciting Jake Polledri, and if the Gloucester flanker gets on the ball more often than not, there could be fireworks.

Unfortunately for Smith, that type of excellence doesn’t run throughout his squad, and anything other than the wooden spoon - again - would be a surprise.

Recommended Bets

For an outright winner, it’s difficult to look past England. Their odds of 4/5 with Bet365 dooesn't necessarily offer value, but they are still worth looking at.

18+ New Players only. For free bet wagering requirements and minimum odds read T&C’s. www.begambleaware.org
Terms Apply
18+ New Customers Only. Minimum Deposit and wagering on sport to activate the Free Bet is £10. Customers who deposit using Neteller, Paysafe, Skrill or Skril 1-Tap will not be eligible for any free bet offer.BeGambleaware.org
Bet Now

Minimum deposit of £10 using deposit code 30FB - A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10 placed on any sports market - Minimum odds of 1/2 (1.5) - Free bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days - Free bet stakes not included in returns - Casino Bonus must be claimed within 7 days • To withdraw bonus/related wins, wager bonus amount x40 within 14 days • Wagering req. vary by game • Withdrawal restrictions and Full T&C’s apply
- Full Terms Apply

Advertiser Disclosure

Every online gambler deserves a safe and fair place to play. Our mission at Gambling.com is to create a safe online environment for players through free, impartial and independent reviews of the UK's best online gambling companies so that you can play with confidence and security. All ratings and reviews are made independently of the operator by our team of gaming experts and with every company being fully UK licensed they can be trusted to offer fair play. We accept compensation from the companies advertised on this page and this may affect the brand positioning. We endeavour to continuously update this list so we can bring you the most current sites and the best available offers but we cannot review every site in the market.

Every online gambler deserves a safe and fair place to play. Our mission at Gambling.com is to create a safe online environment for players through free, impartial and independent reviews of the UK's best online gambling companies so that you can play with confidence and security. All ratings and reviews are made independently of the operator by our team of gaming experts and with every company being fully UK licensed they can be trusted to offer fair play. We accept compensation from the companies advertised on this page and this may affect the brand positioning. We endeavour to continuously update this list so we can bring you the most current sites and the best available offers but we cannot review every site in the market.